My love of makeup has never ebbed although it has certainly evolved over the past 45 years from the horrendous green and blue Cover Girl eyeshadows of the mid 1970s to my 1980s passion for all things Chanel to my 1990’s devotion to Lancome (until the company dumped Isabella Rossalini as its spokes model in 1996) to my conversion to Bobbi Brown in my mid 40s and into my current experimentation with new brands discovered through playing at Ulta and Sephora and receiving monthly subscription boxes from Sephora, Boxycharm and Glossybox.
Playing with makeup is fun; and I feel fortunate that skin care and cosmetic companies have recognized the buying power of “women of a certain age” and have developed products that work well for those of us with more mature skin.
Skin Care Favorites
My current skin care favorites include ClarityRx Cleanse Daily cleanser, Daily Dose of Water hydrating serum, and Call Me In the Morning recovery cream; Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask (which smells divine); SkinAuthority Instant Perfection Peel Pads; Fresh Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil; my old standby Clinique Clarifying Lotion; and Differin Gel, which my dermatologist recommended as an inexpensive alternative to Retin-A.
Makeup
After experimenting with Nars, TooFaced, MAC, Urban Decay, Philosophy, Bobbi Brown, Geurlain, Giorgio Armani, Benefit, Smashbox, Bare Minerals, Makeup Forever, and numerous other trendy brands, my current “go to” foundations are Lancome products: Renergie Lift Makeup and Skin Feels Good hydrating skin tint. These products look so great that my facial esthetician asked me if I ever wear face makeup…..while I was wearing it! Thank you, Lancome!!!
Lancome also makes the best mascara. I’ve tried many brands over the years that promised longer, fuller, curlier, thicker lashes. All disappointed me with the exception of Lancome. My current favorite is Grandiose Extreme; however, any Lancome mascara will do.
My biggest makeup challenge: over plucked, thin, nearly invisible eyebrows with the occasional errant long white hair that seems to appear overnight. Filling in brows can be tricky. I’ve seen disastrous attempts to create lush brows that end up looking like crayon drawings by grade schoolers. The best pencils I’ve discovered are made by Anastasia, Bobbi Brown and MAC. Benefit’s Brow-zings works wonders. And the tinted brow gel by Anastasia and Bobbi Brown are miracle workers. I generally use a combination of products to get a nearly natural look.
There are a lot of great blushes on the market today; however, experts recommend cream blush for mature women. The best I’ve tried include Cushion Blush Subtil by Lancome; Makeup Forever HD Cream Blush; Nars The Multiple; Burberry Beauty Lip & Cheek Bloom; and Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge.
Many of the newest matte lip products seem too drying, uncomfortable or unattractive for aging lips. I’ve found that Nars Satin Lip Pencils provides a creamy texture that goes on smoothly and doesn’t fade into fine lines. The Clinique Chubby Stick is quite good as are the Clinique Long Lasting Soft Matte; Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution; Chanel Rouge Hydrating Lip Color; Lancome L’Absolu Rouge; Urban Decay; Marc Jacobs.
Finally, eyeshadow. It seems impossible to have too many eyeshadows. My Boxycharm subscription box seems to include a new eyeshadow palette every month. I tend to stick with matte shadows because they tend to suit aging eyelids without emphasizing the fine lines. My current collection of eyeshadows includes palettes from Tarte, Too Faced, Lancome, Urban Decay, Buxom, Pretty Vulgar, and Pur. I particularly love that I can create my own palette with Buxom and I love Buxom shadows!
What makeup products do you love? I’m always looking to try something new! Now - off to use my Beauty Insider coupon at Sephora!
https://www.boxycharm.com https://www.sephora.com
https://www.glossybox.com https://www.ulta.com
